Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Cardiff's "waterhouse" to face wrecking ball

Nobody's calling the former druggie hangout a historic structure yet

The converted water-tower house might have been Cardiff's first source of stored water.
The converted water-tower house might have been Cardiff's first source of stored water.

Recent Facebook posts on an old-school Cardiff by the Sea locals’ page wondered what was going on with the old Cardiff “waterhouse,” with its 16-sided top floor and unobstructed 360-degree view of the ocean and eastern slopes. The house, built on top of a two-story concrete water tower, was to have been demolished two years ago to make way for new homes.

Glasgow View project

On a 15,000-square-foot lot at the corner of Chesterfield and Glasgow avenues, the house has been vacant for years. According to City of Encinitas planner Andrew Maynard, the developers had to change designers since applying in 2014. The new plans for the “Glasgow View” project call for one single-family home and four duplexes with zero lot lines (a common wall between units).

All five homes will be two-story. City zoning allowed for six units. The developer’s packet filed with the city states the home was converted from a tank in 1965.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“Not true,” says neighbor Dave. “In the early ’50s, my scoutmaster, Ernest Woodward, lived there with his wife Mary. We’d always be over there working on scout projects,” he said. The 75-year Cardiff resident thinks the home addition was built in 1940.

Joe Aurora, operations superintendent for the San Dieguito Water District, says records show the first meter for the property was hooked up in 1928. The tank was inherited in 1922 with the merger of the old Cardiff Irrigation District.

It’s quite possible this was Cardiff’s first source of stored water in the late 1800s. The upstream Lake Hodges reservoir and dam, which now provide a constant water supply, weren’t built until 1918.

Dave says he’s glad something will finally be done with the dilapidated house.

“We always had to call the sheriff’s because kids would break in, hang out, and do drugs. They finally boarded it up,” said Dave. “It’s actually a three-story home — there’s a full basement.”

Up to the developer as whether the cork oak makes the cut

Dave showed me a 50-foot cork oak tree on the property; a very rare tree to be grown in the U.S. Its rough bark is harvested to produce cork in its native Europe and northern Africa. A cork oak can live up to 250 years.

City planner Andrew Maynard said the project will probably get to the planning commission for public comment around August or September.

Historical footnote: Most of Cardiff’s west side, streets with British town names, was subdivided in 1911 by J. Frank Cullen, who sold two 50´ x 100´ legal lots to build one house on. Because property owners hold title to two deeded lots next to each other, a developer may build duplexes with no lot line between them.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Second largest yellowfin tuna caught by rod and reel

Excel does it again
The converted water-tower house might have been Cardiff's first source of stored water.
The converted water-tower house might have been Cardiff's first source of stored water.

Recent Facebook posts on an old-school Cardiff by the Sea locals’ page wondered what was going on with the old Cardiff “waterhouse,” with its 16-sided top floor and unobstructed 360-degree view of the ocean and eastern slopes. The house, built on top of a two-story concrete water tower, was to have been demolished two years ago to make way for new homes.

Glasgow View project

On a 15,000-square-foot lot at the corner of Chesterfield and Glasgow avenues, the house has been vacant for years. According to City of Encinitas planner Andrew Maynard, the developers had to change designers since applying in 2014. The new plans for the “Glasgow View” project call for one single-family home and four duplexes with zero lot lines (a common wall between units).

All five homes will be two-story. City zoning allowed for six units. The developer’s packet filed with the city states the home was converted from a tank in 1965.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“Not true,” says neighbor Dave. “In the early ’50s, my scoutmaster, Ernest Woodward, lived there with his wife Mary. We’d always be over there working on scout projects,” he said. The 75-year Cardiff resident thinks the home addition was built in 1940.

Joe Aurora, operations superintendent for the San Dieguito Water District, says records show the first meter for the property was hooked up in 1928. The tank was inherited in 1922 with the merger of the old Cardiff Irrigation District.

It’s quite possible this was Cardiff’s first source of stored water in the late 1800s. The upstream Lake Hodges reservoir and dam, which now provide a constant water supply, weren’t built until 1918.

Dave says he’s glad something will finally be done with the dilapidated house.

“We always had to call the sheriff’s because kids would break in, hang out, and do drugs. They finally boarded it up,” said Dave. “It’s actually a three-story home — there’s a full basement.”

Up to the developer as whether the cork oak makes the cut

Dave showed me a 50-foot cork oak tree on the property; a very rare tree to be grown in the U.S. Its rough bark is harvested to produce cork in its native Europe and northern Africa. A cork oak can live up to 250 years.

City planner Andrew Maynard said the project will probably get to the planning commission for public comment around August or September.

Historical footnote: Most of Cardiff’s west side, streets with British town names, was subdivided in 1911 by J. Frank Cullen, who sold two 50´ x 100´ legal lots to build one house on. Because property owners hold title to two deeded lots next to each other, a developer may build duplexes with no lot line between them.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Trump names local supporter new Border Czar

Another Brick (Suit) in the Wall
Next Article

Syrian treat maker Hakmi Sweets makes Dubai chocolate bars

Look for the counter shop inside a Mediterranean grill in El Cajon
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader